How to Cut a Stall Mat | Sure Guide

How to Cut a Stall Mat? Horse stall mats are typically made of a thick, rubber-like substance. They are typically 0.75 inches thick, though some may be a little thinner or thicker depending on the maker and brand. Knowing how to cut horse stall mats might be difficult because a crisp cut that does not shred the rubber is required.

You could hire a professional to perform the cuts for you, but there are numerous do-it-yourself alternatives that would work just as well for a fraction of the price. Here are your choices.

How to Cut a Stall Mat

1. Cutting the Horse Stall Mats by Hand

For many people, the quickest technique to cut horse stall mats is also the most time consuming. After you’ve drawn your lines and measured where your cuts should go, take a regular box cutter or similar blade and begin making little cuts into the rubber.

When employing this procedure, make sure not to cut too deeply. It will fracture the blade, resulting in sharp shards contained within the cutting region. Simply go down the line gently, making a fractional cut from top to bottom or left to right. Then repeat until you’ve gone all the way through the rubber.

If you place a solid piece of plywood underneath the horse stall mat while cutting through it, the slices you generate with the cutter will naturally spread apart as you widen the cut.

A carpet knife or other comparable tool can also be used to achieve a similar outcome.

Some people who used this procedure to cut their horse stall mats used oil to keep the blade moving through the rubber. Some claimed to have utilised water. Others have claimed positive results when using a product like WD-40.

Bear down on the blade or cutter as you operate to avoid pushing the rubber to the sides of the blade rather than cutting through it. Even if it takes a few passes, using light pressure will always result in the best cut. If the blade no longer cuts well, it’s time to replace it. You’re pushing too hard if you have to pull hard on the blade to get it out of the mat. Remove the blade gently without jerking.

READ ALSO: How to Cut Hardboard With Utility Knife

2. Use a Hacksaw to Perform a Manual Cut

If you don’t have the patience to make little cuts down a long horse stall mat, a hacksaw may be a better solution. To get the greatest results, use a fine-edged blade that has never been used for anything else. Also, nothing substantial should be placed beneath the mat. Another pair of hands will be required to hold the mat for you while the cutting takes place.

After you’ve finished the cut, you’ll need to change the hacksaw blade before moving on to the next mat.

3. A Circular Saw Can Be Used in Certain Situations

When it comes to cutting through a rubber horse stall mat, power equipment can be hit or miss. You’ll either have a stuck blade in the mat, melted rubber at the cut spot, or a mix of the two if you don’t have a powerful enough saw. Then there’s the stench of burnt rubber that lingers for weeks – not a pleasant outcome.

However, if you have a worm drive circular saw, you may be able to use it to complete the task. A regular carbide blade will suffice for the task. Set the blade to fall slightly deeper than if you were cutting through wood.

Then, as you cut through the mat, start moving the rubber mats apart from each other to protect them from binding the blade. This will avoid heat accumulation and the unpleasant odor of hot rubber.

The downside of cutting a horse stall mat with a circular saw is that it is difficult to achieve a precise cut for stalls that are not perfectly straight. If you need to work around support posts or do other cutouts, you will most likely need to finish the operation by hand.

4. Here’s How to Use a Saws-All

If you don’t want to deal with the risks of using a circular saw to cut your horse stall mats, but you also don’t want to spend the entire afternoon cutting your mats, a saws-all may be the correct choice. You’ll need a fine-tooth blade, similar to a hacksaw, and you’ll need to replace out the blades after a mat or two for best results.

When you use a saws-all to make the cut, you’ll see that it leaves some ragged edges. Because of this, you’ll want to leave yourself a margin of error for your cut, so measure around 0.5 inch larger than usual. Then, using a grinder with a cutting wheel, smooth off the ragged edging that tends to emerge.

With enough practice, you can use a saws-all to make the tiny cuts required to mold a horse stall mat around various obstacles.